San Joaquin Co. man arrested near Canadian border on terrorist charges

SACRAMENTO – An Acampo man was arrested near the Canadian border Monday on suspicion of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

According to U.S. Attorney's spokesperson Lauren Harwood, Nicholas Teausant, 20, traveled to the Canadian border with the intent of continuing on to Syria to join al-Qaida. He was detained in Blaine, Wash. before crossing into Canada.

Teausant is scheduled to appear in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington at 2 p.m. Monday. If convicted, he faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables, Harwood said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Modesto Police Department and San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office cooperated into the investigation leading to Teausant's arrest. Each are members of the Modesto/Stockton Joint Terrorism Task Force.